crondall chronicles - The Crondall Society

CRONDALL CHRONICLES
THE MAGAZINE
of the
CRONDALL SOCIETY
SPRING 2011
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Bowenhurst Golf Centre
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The South Downs
Confessions of a Poker Player
Farnborough Airport
Chairman’s Notes
Crondall Crops 2011
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39
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41
46
CRONDALL CHRONICLES
“The Crondall Society aims to support a
pleasant environment in which people can live
together and expect a good quality of life”
SPRING 2011
EDITION 77
Each year, two editions of Crondall
Chronicles, the Magazine of the Crondall
Society are published: one in the Spring and
the other in the Autumn. The editor is John
Maclean (jkmaclean@btopenworld.com tel
850699)
Subscription to the Society that includes
payment for these two annual publications,
becomes due on 1st April each year. It is £8
annual family and £5 annual single
membership
payable
to
Section
Representatives who kindly deliver your
magazine within their respective distribution
areas. Their names are shown at the end of this
publication.
The membership secretary is Dick
Wilkinson (dickwilkinson@btinternet.com
850272).
Now sporting its snappier alliterative title,
“Crondall Chronicles” is the continuation of
the Crondall Society Magazine that was first
published as a newsletter in April 1973 by
Major C.A.(Tony) Steward. The publication
sought to meet one of the objectives of the
Society namely to ‘stimulate interest in the
village’. Now, some 38 years later, copies of
the magazine indeed provide excellent
archives. They record events that occurred as
seen from the perspective of its editor (or
perhaps chronicler?) as well as stories and
historical contributions relative to village life.
A chronicle (from Greek chronos meaning
time) is a historical account of facts and events
ranged in order over a given period. Once
upon a time, it served a religious purpose to
record the stages by which human history was
seen to be marching towards the Second
Coming. Wars, plagues and disasters were thus
faithfully written up!
Trusting that we meet none of these
retributions, your editor has chosen the plural
form of chronicle in order to cover the wide
variety and eclectic nature of the contents and
contributions that are received.
COVER PICTURE
CONTENTS
What’s on?
Reports from Parish, District and County
Visit by our MP
Village Personalities
Crondall School
School Places
Tigglets 10th Birthday
Crondall Engineering
Crondall War Memorial (Part 2)
Village in Camera
Are you getting your oats?
Artist in Residence
Flora, Fauna and Walks
2
2
4
6
9
12
14
16
19
24
28
30
33
Familiar to any livestock farmer, it is nice to
feature one of the timeless activities that spring
heralds. Brigid Kirsch of Eastbridge has been
breeding Lleyn sheep for many years. Almost
certainly, her lambs and their mothers will
again be in the front field at Eastbridge for all
to see during the Easter period. Lleyns are said
to be quiet in nature, prolific, with the ewes
having great maternal instincts and will not eat
you out of house and home – although their
lambs clearly are proving to be very
demanding!
Printed by Arrow Press, Farnham, Surrey GU9 7UG
Tel: (01252) 722790
1
WHAT’S ON?
Friday 29th April – Royal Wedding Party
Plans are in hand for a Street Party in The
Borough starting at 2pm after we have all
viewed the ceremony on TV.
• Wednesday 18th May at 7.30pm – AGM
and Talk
The AGM of The Crondall Society will take
place at 7.30pm on Wednesday 18th May, in
the Church Rooms. All members are warmly
invited to attend and enjoy convivial glasses of
wine, with cheese.
Nathan Roberts will then talk on:
The Rites of Passage for Young People
‘Youth is disintegrating. The youngsters of the
land have a disrespect for their elders and a
contempt for authority in every form.
Vandalism is rife, and crime of all kinds is
rampant among our young people. The nation
is in peril.’ – Egyptian Priest, c. 2000BC
The subject of young people often arouses
strong passions. Many communities are
blighted by anti-social behaviour and fatal
stabbings between youths are currently
occurring across the UK at an average of one
a day.
Nathan Roberts is at the sharp end of
working with ‘at risk’ young people. He has
spent 10 years working with Raleigh and has
now co-founded a specialist Rites of Passage
organisation called ‘A Band of Brothers’. He
has worked with young people on the margins
in the UK, Africa, Australia and Bermuda.
Friday 20th May – An Evening with Lord
Bramall
An ‘unmissable’ occasion with a Supper in the
Village Hall followed by a talk on the
Falklands Conflict by Field Marshal the Lord
Bramall. Tickets in aid of All Saints and
Sinners restoration appeal from parish office
or Alison Thomas 850188
Sunday 5th June – Crondall Triathlon
This is now becoming a famous event in the
South with the finishing line at The Plume of
Feathers. Those competitors who wish to enter
are advised to do so early (entries to Julian
Badgery 850245)
2
Saturday 25th June - Crondall Village Fete.
Hook Meadow
The Village Fete takes place from 2pm – 5 pm.
And we shall have a stall with some interactive
games and activities. We hope to see you
there.
Saturday 6th August – Flower, Produce and
Craft Show
Schedules now on sale at the Village Shop.
Expected to be its usual high quality, closely
competed exhibition. Details from Brenda
Sullivan 850797.
• Friday 18th November 8.00pm – Talk and
informal wine tasting, with cheese at Clare
Park.
Details to be finalised.
• Contact for Society Events is Ali Howard on
851777.
PARISH COUNCIL
By Colin Hebbron, Chairman
I wonder how many
villagers will realise
that next year’s
Precept (the rates
taken from our
community to run
services provided by
the Parish Council)
will
actually
decreased by 6%? – a
conscious effort on your Council’s part. Last
time we achieved a reduction, that information
was not passed on to you!!
Last year we were also left with significant
accounting work that Mark Passmore, our
RFO or Responsible Financial Officer and
David Argent, the Deputy Chairman spent a lot
of time sorting out. The extra work came about
because of the need to rationalise and
reallocate divisions of cost following the illjudged ‘split’ with our former councillor
colleagues in Ewshot. We have now
introduced a new accounting package, tailored
for our own requirements. Malcolm Willings
from Ewshot has voluntarily pre-audited these
latest accounts. They have now been
externally approved by the Audit Commission.
I am always impressed by the willingness of
our PC councillors to go the extra mile in their
own time to get things done. Accounting is a
typical example. I write this whilst the
management salaries of our tiers of local
government at District and County are coming
under increasing scrutiny. We are an unpaid
team batting against salaried staff with
agendas that draw us further and further into
the catacombs of wider issues, well removed
from what we need as a rural Hampshire
village. Just occasionally if we are lucky, we
find ourselves on the same side and in
agreement!
We continue to tackle Hampshire CC’s
highways department about the deplorable
state of some of Crondall’s roads.We share
many villagers’ concerns at the numerous
potholes, many of which have been around for
ages (and progressively getting worse) and the
inadequacy of some of the insignificant
remedial work that has been carried out. It’s
been particularly galling to see workmen
spraying white identifying markings to
indicate repair work that is needed, only to
watch those markings fade as the seasons pass,
with no repair work actually happening! But as
the Prime Minister says, we’re all in this
together. We shall persevere!
Matters relating to the local development
framework and SHLAA, the strategic housing
land availability assessment, are recounted
elsewhere in this publication. Chris Dorn has
been a leading light on understanding the
twists and turns following the new Coalition’s
scrapping of targets that now emerge as wishlists. Plus Ca Change! These situations pay
scant regard to the volumes of work
undertaken previously to achieve policy
decisions favourable to Crondall. When we
find ourselves back at square one as a result of
yet another U – turn, believe me we do need
your support to continue to reapply ourselves
enthusiastically.
One way of showing your interest and
perhaps your appreciation might be to attend
our Parish Council Annual Assembly in May
2011 in the Village Hall. Watch for the posters
and I look forward to seeing you there!
HART DISTRICT REPORT
Councillor Ken Crookes, Leader of Hart
District Council
Recently I spent a very
informative
and
worthwhile evening at
a public meeting in the
Church
Rooms
organised by the
Crondall
Parish
Council. The subject
was the emerging
Local Development Framework (LDF) 2011 to
2026. This entails Hart, as your local planning
authority, developing a draft LDF covering the
whole District by June of this year before
submission to Central Government.
Guiding current developments, we already
have our existing Hart Local Plan. Homes
being built at Hitches Lane, Fleet, Dilly Lane
in Hartley Wintney as well as those proposed
at the Queen Elizabeth Barracks in Church
Crookham falling within this process.
So what has changed? Quite simply, the new
coalition government has made it clear that it
plans to scrap the South East Plan and the
building targets that were previously imposed
upon us.
This does not mean that we can rest easily
and do nothing. It’s now up to us to decide how
many new homes should be built and where
they should be. Our local economy remains
relatively strong and this is just one factor
which creates a demand for new housing.
The LDF plan period is from 2006 to 2026
and Hart has concluded that an appropriate
number of new homes would be 200 per year.
There are several years’ “supply” in the
pipeline, some of these are already built and
we need to agree the location and type of
housing of the remainder. There is undeniably
a demand for new family homes both for
market purchase and affordable rent through a
Housing Association and also residences for
those who wish to ‘downsize’ from a family
house.
Chris Dorn, your planning representative
Parish Councillor, described the options that
Crondall has in supporting Hart’s LDF. He
3
touched on the SHLAA (Strategic Housing
Land Availability Assessment) where
developers and land owners are invited to
‘offer’ sites for potential development. He
noted the restrictions that applied including
those within the existing village envelope and
particularly within its conservation area.
For my part, I shall be looking forward to
receiving the consolidated views of Crondall
residents channelled through your Parish
Council. Eventually proposals will be tested
against an evidence-based analysis that will
bring out all the reasons that commend or
reject them.
At our meeting we discussed site
constraints, rural exceptions and inevitably
numbers of houses. We believe that the 200 per
year is what I term the “Lowest Defendable
Number.”
As to where new homes should be built, our
towns and parishes have say in that, both as we
draft the LDF and after it is published for
consultation this summer. I look forward to
receiving this consultation feedback together
with initiatives on types of houses and
accompanying infrastructure needs that will be
required for each proposal. Thank you once
again, Crondall for such a lively debate that
evening!
COUNTY NOTES
by Councillor Jonathan Glen,
Councillor for Hook and Odiham
County
It has been a busy year
following the General
Election in May and
the first-ever Coalition
Government. We are
now faced with some
pretty tough decisions
as there is simply not
enough money to go
around.
The effect of central
government cost-cutting on the County
Council is a £55 million funding gap as a result
of withdrawal of cash subsidies. The only way
to balance our books is to reduce our
expenditure, which means reviewing jobs and
4
salaries. Staff costs account for 51% of our
£715m budget, excluding schools. Funding for
education is ring-fenced and will not be
affected.
Savings will be achieved by cutting 25% of
the 600 senior management posts, putting a
freeze on recruitment, and re-negotiating
current contracts to drive down costs. As many
of the reductions as possible will concentrate
on
behind-the-scenes
administrative
departments, ideally to take the pressure off
front-line services, including free bus passes
and pothole repairs which will only be affected
as a last resort. For instance, plans are in place
to reduce the number of mobile library vans
from our current fleet of 19 vehicles to 6.
There is no right answer to the dilemma of
where to cut; it has ‘nothing to do with merit,
it is the inexorable logic of mathematics’.
Inevitably people will be unhappy and will be
hoping their particular job, service, benefit
payments will be left alone. There will be
mistakes, and grounds for appeal. But no one
is being singled out, and where we can ‘double
up’, we will. But we need to get it right now to
give the economy the best chance to recover
and hopefully that will help Hampshire too.
If anyone in Crondall is worried about how
the cuts will affect their lifestyle please ring
me on 07860 843 278, or come along on my
monthly surgery at Dickson House in Hook on
the first Saturday morning of every month. I
will be happy to discuss any concerns you may
have.
VISIT BY OUR MP
During his visit to the Conservative Branch
AGM in February, our Member of Parliament,
the Rt Hon James Arbuthnot MP thanked
Ewshot and Crondall villagers for their
support.
Branch Chairman, Peter Hall welcomed James
Arbuthnot MP and invited him to answer
questions from members.
James began by thanking those who had
given their time and effort to win him reelection to this parliament.
He paid tribute to Nippy Singh for his
identification of issues surrounding the
possible privatisation of the Post Office and he
was making sure these would reach the ears of
the Minister concerned.
On the World Stage
In preparation for his future visit to meet the
Israeli Prime Minister and his foreign affairs
minister, James showed concern for an
apparent lack of vision that might eventually
improve the lot of the Palestinians and the
chances of peace.
Turning to Egypt that was experiencing
jubilation following the overthrow of
President Mubarak, he noted that other
countries such as Georgia and former
Yugoslavia that had followed the same path,
soon had their euphoria brought to an abrupt
conclusion. The stability of the Middle East is
clearly in the balance.
On the European Stage
It is becoming clear that our EU-slanted
employment laws are crucifying economic
growth not only of the UK but the whole of
Europe particularly in its ability to respond to
Asian competition.
James does not believe that the countries
with Euro currency will splinter and that it was
hugely in UK trade interests that the Euro was
a success. On the vexed question of Germany
bailing out Greece (‘where a civil servant is
able to retire on a massive pension as young as
42’), he thought a bit of teutonic discipline that
might subsequently be imposed could only be
for the better.
He felt European bureaucracy had pushed
itself beyond the pale with its micromanagement of topics such as prisoner voting
rights. To him, the overall impression was that
the EU had lost its way and needed to regain
the support of the people.
On the Home Front
James felt that the population at large
recognised the need to trim the £120m per day
interest that public finances paid out following
the previous government’s term of office. In
response to the ‘too far and too fast’ question,
he recognised the measures adversely affected
former plans and he foresaw it being a difficult
year for local council elections.
He hoped that the Royal Wedding, the
Queens Diamond Jubilee and the Olympic
Games may provide some ‘feel good’ factors
to everyone during the next 18 months or so.
He also alluded to the coming budget as one
for growth, in that the Government had already
reduced the NI contributions brought in by
Labour and their proposed corporation tax
increase, and might think of ideas like the
removal of NI for under 25s. The commitment
remained to funding increases to the National
Health Service, given that it had grown by a
steady 4% in the life of every parliament since
1948!
As Chairman of the Defence Select
Committee, James has a unique insight into the
country’s
military
capabilities.
The
committee’s current work centred on the
enquiry into Afghanistan and the recent
Strategic Defence and Security Review
(“conducted at a speed more appropriate to
Michael Schumacher!”).
He noted that the public appetite for
properly funded defence was ambivalent,
given that only the older population had lived
through threats of direct attack. Whilst
increases in defence spending may become a
reality in four years time, for now it is a
question of grappling with additional costs of
delayed programmes whilst maintaining the
funds to provide for the operational
commitments placed upon our service
personnel.
Rt. Hon James Arbuthnot MP
5
VILLAGE PERSONALITIES
Profile of Colin Bryant
Community-spirited Colin Bryant is a happy
man. Mo Farrell finds out why.
Kind, helpful and
without a bad word
to
say
about
anyone,
Colin
Bryant’s avuncular
manner
draws
people in and has
set him on a course
which today sees
him,
as
he
confronts seventy,
enjoying a rich involvement in Crondall’s
community life.
Colin spent his early years in Crondall and
came back to live in the village six years ago
following many years in Fleet, naval postings
around the world and a career with the Post
Office.
His links with the village are strong - his 96year old father, Jim, still lives in Crondall and
Colin’s grandfather was caretaker at the
primary school in the 1950s. His parents were
married in All Saints, he sang in the church
choir, and daughter, Samantha, was married
there.
If you don’t spot Colin in church on a
Sunday, you’ll catch up with him at Crondall
Parish Council meetings in the Church Rooms.
A year into the job and he’s getting into his
stride. “I sat there at first and kept my mouth
shut. It’s very formal and sometimes people
go on and on and on. I just want to help make
the village a nice place. I was brought up here
and it’s such a nice place to live partly because
you can go off into the fields from most sides.
The only problem is that I don’t think villagers
mix as well as they should.”
“People come into the village and often
want to change things. They don’t realise that
people who have lived in the village for a long
time probably resent that a bit. It would be
better if we all worked together as a team.” As
a former naval radio operator, Colin knows all
about teamwork.
6
At one point he served on HMS Verulam, a
destroyer converted into a Type 15 frigate
based at Portland in Dorset. It was about fifty
years ago during trials for underwater
equipment off the Scottish coast, that Colin
decided there really was a God.
“We were on the edge of a hurricane and the
ship nearly capsized. It went on its side, all
the lights went out and I thought ‘this is a bit
dodgy’. A typewriter flew across the room and
hit the bulkhead. I then followed it and ended
up upside down in the corner, in the dark. My
whole life flashed in front of me and from then
on, I thought someone must be watching over
me.”
And that’s how he became drawn to the
church, first as a churchgoer and now with
several responsibilities - on the Deanery
Synod, as an occasional verger, delivering
welcome packs from the church to new
residents and, following a year-long course,
preaching.
“I really enjoy the preaching now, but when
I first got up there, I was very nervous. It
makes me feel good. Actually, I’m never
miserable. I’m the same all the time. I’m
happy with my lot but I’d love to win the
lottery and see it do some good somewhere. It
would give me great pleasure and I’d feel
fulfilled.”
“I’d like to do Patients’ Participation but it’s
another responsibility and with the church and
the council, I think I’m doing enough.” There’s
also the gardening he does around the village
and, because his wife, Shirley, suffers constant
back pain and has limited mobility, he does
housework too.
“I’m a simple little village peasant,” he
insists. “I’ve never earned more than £12,000
a year but I’ve had a lovely life and I’ve
brought up a family. I’ve got no complaints.”
VILLAGE PERSONALITIES
Profile of Dale Fontaine
Mo Farrell meets Crondall’s star performer!
Dave Hurrell is seventy and for half a century
or more he’s been Elvis. To date, he has raised
more than £100,000 for charity with his
Echoes
of
Elvis show
and he’s not
yet ready to
say it’s all
over.
As
a
teenager in
N o r t h
L o n d o n
listening to
The King’s I
Was the One,
Dave had an
epiphany.
“That was
it. I said to my friends, ‘I’ve got to sing like
that’. I‘d always liked singing, went round all
the local youth clubs and I used to stand in
front of the mirror with a hairbrush as a
microphone.” Months later, he was
encouraged to enter his raw talent into a
contest.
“I sang Rip It Up and won. That was the
start of everything.”
Performing at first with his own skiffle
group, then The Four Stars, and as Mark
Consul and the Countdowns, he went on to
form Dale Fontaine and the Dominoes in 1960.
The group was to become the backbone of his
show, which he regularly stages in Crondall, at
Bentley’s Memorial Hall, at Bob Potter’s
Lakeside complex in Frimley, and in pubs,
village and town halls everywhere.
Dave has sung with the late Del Shannon,
Brian Poole and the Tremeloes, The Wurzels
and The Majestics; as ‘Dave the Plumber’, he
starred in TV’s long-running real life soap, The
Village about life in Bentley; he has made
CDs, and headlines too, especially when he
was hospitalised after being electrocuted by a
water pistol aimed at his sound-wired Fleet
Carnival float 13 years ago.
“I’ve lasted as long as I have because I don’t
take myself seriously. I even call my tribute
show Echoes of Elvis because an echo is not as
good as the real thing. I am just a disciple as
no-one else could have a voice like him.”
“I’ve lived in his boots, I’ve always stuck up
for him and I’ve been in fights over him, but
he’s never taken me over. When I’m on stage,
I’m Dale Fontaine and when I’m at home, I’m
Dave Hurrell. I’ve never thought that I was
Elvis but I have felt him standing alongside
me.’
Indeed, at home, Little Graceland in
Greensprings, he, and third wife, Dee, are
surrounded by Elvis. Books, newspaper
cuttings, photos, even copies of Presley’s death
certificate and the medical report on his death
in 1977 are displayed or filling drawers.
Frivolous mementos such as Tshirts, towels,
bed covers, rugs, mugs, statuettes, teapots and
coffee percolators, are everywhere. There’s
even a clock that marks the hours with a
different Elvis song – at 2am it announces that,
‘Elvis has left the building, thank you and
good night’. Then there are all the records,
Dave’s rhinestone-encrusted stage outfits, and
perhaps most touchingly, a leaf brought back
by a friend from the garden at Graceland in
Florida, Presley’s Memphis, Tennessee home
for the last twenty years of his life.
Dave’s recent diagnosis with asbestosrelated pleural thickening around the lungs,
has put a trip to Graceland on hold. But the
dream lives on – and in Crondall at least, so
does the legend.
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CRONDALL SCHOOL
Food for life – Gold award
Brenda Sullivan, School Governor of Crondall
Primary School, describes the achievement
Julie Acott teaches Year R to make pizzas
From Yesteryear to National Flagship
When Megan Robinson arrived as the new
Head Teacher in April 2002, one of the nonacademic subjects which claimed her attention
was the poor provision and standard of the
school dinners. This was the start of a long
journey which resulted in the school being
presented with the Food for Life Bronze
Award in 2008, then the Silver in 2009 and
finally the Gold Award in 2010.
Crondall School is the only primary school
in the whole of the South to hold this award.
We have also been named as a National
Flagship School, acting as a community hub
and support to other schools on their own
journey to transform their food culture. Megan
meets other professionals and hosts visits from
them to see how our results have been
achieved.
No Airline Trays
Responsibility for the kitchen had to be taken
over by the school and various checks done by
the appropriate authorities. Visits were made
to other establishments. For instance Megan
and I viewed an all-day facility in Hackney,
that catered in house for a large number of
children on a limited budget. I was personally
delighted when Megan announced that she did
not like the “airline” type trays which were
then used for school dinners as I had always
felt sympathy for the children expected to eat
up their main course while pudding and
custard slowly congealed on the same tray …
Conscious of the need for practical help and
information in this venture, the governing
body of the school invited Jeannette Orrey,
then a dinner lady but now of the Soil
Association to be our official advisor. This
was well before a certain Mr J. Oliver used her
as his school dinner lady guru on television –
we’re very proud of that fact!
Cooks in the Kitchen and in the Classroom
With all the preparations in place we obviously
needed to recruit cooks and kitchen staff. So in
November 2004, Linda Tyler and Mary
Wilson, both at the time parents of children at
the school, became the school’s cooks. To say
that they were thrown in at the deep end was
an understatement. In their new working
surroundings, their first school meal served to
the children was Christmas Dinner. Coping
with strange equipment, including a massive,
recalcitrant gas cooker, they worked wonders,
getting in-house catering off to a flying start.
What followed was a steep learning curve for
all concerned, involving training such as Food
Handling and Hygiene courses and the
inevitable Health & Safety strictures.
Meanwhile the Academy of Culinary Arts
made several visits to the school with
inspirational sessions not only on cooking but
taste and sensation as perceived by eye and
palate. These were really appreciated by
children from various age groups who took
part. I still remember the look on a child’s face
when tasting a blue jelly and then being totally
flummoxed when asked to state the flavour!
Julie Acott, another of our committed
parents, also came in to take cookery classes. I
remember seeing her coping magnificently
with a couple of tables in the hall and a group
of Year R up to their armpits making flapjacks.
Nowadays in the new teaching kitchen she is
ably assisted by Margaret Moss, grandmother
to two of the children. Megan also ran a
cookery club after school in the early days and
all this effort has meant that the children have
achieved a real sense of what good food is all
9
Bartley Heath
Pottery
North Warnborough
Michael and Lesley Dixon
Showroom Open
Mon-Sat 10.00am–5.00pm
For a range of handmade stoneware
pottery.
Commemorate Plates made to order.
Saturday morning clay
workshops for children.
Telephone Lesley for details
01256 702163
email
dixonlesley@btconnect.com
www.bartleyheathpottery.co.uk
10
about and how to cook meals and create
menus.
Pupil Power – The Winning Formula
In order to achieve Bronze, Silver and Gold
level Food for Life awards, we had visits from
various judges over the years. The final
assessment began with a most impressive
power-point presentation by the school
captains and vice-captains, who detailed the
whole process of developing the school’s inhouse catering and the children’s reactions to
the innovations which were made. These
pupils did all the work themselves and
produced an excellent report. The judges then
met the cooks, gardeners and other appropriate
people who had been involved with the
project. After inspecting the kitchen and
allotment they then enjoyed their school dinner
in the hall along with the children, listening
attentively to their views and opinions, all
favourable.
Results
The school dinner menu runs on a three week
cycle and the children choose their own meals.
There is always a vegetarian option, fresh fruit
and water are also available. The kitchen staff
make delicious cakes and biscuits, (such as
raspberry muffins with school grown
raspberries) and the buns for occasional
burgers are also made freshly on site. I was
amused one day to hear a mother standing near
the kitchen hatch after attending Friday
assembly in the hall saying, “There’s an awful,
musty smell in here. It must be damp,” not
realising that it was the yeasty smell from the
fresh batch of burger buns proving on the other
side of the hatch …
After two years and much greatly
appreciated effort, Linda and Mary decided to
move on. Their hard work and energy had
given the school a firm base from which to
proceed further. These days our cook is
Elizabeth Hocquingy, ably assisted by Dot
Varney and Therese Evans. All take a real
pride in their work and visitors are always
greeted by cheerful smiles.
They produce excellent meals sourcing as
far as possible from local suppliers. For
example, organic meat comes from Mill Farm,
Isington, and other meats from Newlyn’s Farm
at Hook. Everything consumed by the children
is prepared and cooked in-house. The success
of this whole venture is shown by the fact that
approximately 75% of the pupils regularly take
school dinners. Members of the village
community have also enjoyed occasional
school meals.
The New Building
This led to the next phase, strongly supported
by everyone connected with the school,
teachers, governors and the parents’ Crondall
School Association. As a Victorian building
we are constantly having to think of ways to
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11
maintain and use this old school for the best
benefit of both children and staff. The tiny socalled Staff Room could only seat less than
half the staff, if that. At break-time it was
standing room only.
We also needed to provide an appropriate
dedicated area for cooking, specifically
designed for the children’s needs and also
being a facility which may be hired out to the
community for such things as cookery courses
or demonstrations. Permission was granted to
build a much-needed new classroom to replace
the present Year 6, and a new kitchen fitted
neatly into the resulting internal dead space.
This latter has three hobs and ovens and a table
with adjustable legs to cope with the
differences in height between the smallest and
tallest children, and there is also a plasma
screen fixed to the wall for demonstration or
information. The new classroom meant that
the one upstairs classroom in the apex of the
roof space could now become a proper staff
room. It had never been entirely satisfactory
as a classroom owing to the sloping walls.
Now all the classrooms are on the ground
floor.
The building project took time to plan and
come to fruition, taking many hours of work
by people involved with the school. How was
it all funded? The efficient Finance subcommittee at the school which keeps a tight
rein on the budget, held over devolved capital.
We were also fortunate to have funding from
Hampshire Extended Services (approved by
the late David Kirk). Organisations such as the
C.S.A worked extremely hard and raised the
magnificent sum of £25,000. School fairs, Buy
a Brick campaign, sponsors, a Ball, raffles,
you name it, they did a wonderful job.
Open Day and Community Dinners
We shall be announcing an Open Day so that
the village community can see the result of
everyone’s hard work. We are very proud of
our school and its building. You cannot fail to
be interested in our allotment on the school
field, complete with greenhouse and garden
shed. Vegetables, fruit and herbs grown here
are naturally used in the school meals. Initially
herbs, potatoes, carrots, onions and tomatoes
were grown in the quadrangle, and very
successfully too. Now, however, we have an
12
even better space and with Lucy Izard and
Mary Wilson, who have been employed as our
two part-time gardeners, the children receive
high calibre help and encouragement.
All in all, it has been a terrific and
exhausting journey, but a most worthwhile
undertaking. Should you wish to try the fare
for yourself, look out for the next Community
Dinner date in the Parish Magazine or the
notice in Crondall Stores. You might also be
given a tour of the school by the children and
even, as happened to my husband, a discussion
on the merits of rhubarb versus apple crumble!
SCHOOL PLACES
Crondall Primary School is possibly one of the
best of its kind in the County, yet urban
development in Fleet is impacting upon places
for those moving onwards from Year 6 into a
local Secondary School. In practice, are we
disadvantaged by our distance from the
nearest Secondary School Gate?
The Story So Far
The problem reared its head in 2008 when our
catchment area had too few secondary school
places for the expected numbers moving up
that year. Because of the increased number of
applicants from the immediate Fleet catchment
area, places at Calthorpe and Court Moor that
traditionally fed from rural communities, were
becoming a lottery. Proposed alternatives such
as the Connaught School in Aldershot
presented problems of integration and
transport.
Fortunately numbers eventually resolved
themselves and complex arrangements to bus
and educate Crondall children further afield
did not materialise. This held good for 2009
and 2010 but the situation is looming again for
2012 and beyond.
This time there appears to be less
manoeuvrability other than proposing to
increase the size of Calthorpe with portacabins
or temporary structures. Children and parents
of Year 5 and below face uncertainty that
stresses both them and our own school classes.
Why Worry?
All householders in Crondall, should be
concerned. If the situation favours ‘distance
from the school gate’, further urban house
building will clearly make the problem worse.
When a lack of secondary school places is
already apparent, it calls into question the
whole viability of housing ‘development’. If
families with youngsters decide not to move to
Crondall because of dysfunctional schooling,
we shall eventually become a less vibrant and
more ‘silver haired’ village that perhaps we
already are!
Constraints
The situation does actually beg the question
whether our bureaucrats have properly grasped
the nettle of what ‘development’ means.
Section 106 is an oft-quoted response, but
income raised by this from developers by this
method is insufficient to fund the proper
strategic educational needs of the area. The
Elvetham Heath estates offer a classic
example. Apparently no funding at all was
contracted for educational purposes from the
developers when permission to build was
given.
developing a Parent’s Workshop for those
faced with form filling for choice of future
school for their youngsters. This is in direct
response to something practical to help those
parents faced with the immediate problem. It is
an attempt to minimise risk, take elements of
misfortune out of the equation and present a
coordinated demand to the authorities on
where and when the places will be required.
On a wider basis, another affiliated group is
monitoring and advising the District on Fleet
numbers giving hopefully an early indication
of where temporary expansion may be
required. Whilst Court Moor has no capacity
for this, Calthorpe at least has some
possibilities.
So for parents who are concerned or would
like to discuss their particular situation further
outside the broad nature of this article, Oli’s
contact is Oliver.Beavon@btinternet.com
Us and Them
Crondall’s position geographically sites us
nearest to Weydon School. But being a mere
five miles away holds no standing as we are
Hampshire and they are Surrey. Furthermore
Surrey employs a policy that primary school
pupils feeding secondary schools are properly
integrated with direct passes from junior to
senior school.
Robert Mays School at Odiham looks an
attractive option, but it is fully committed to its
catchment area that extends as far as Hartley
Wintney. Its curtilage does indeed run along
the A287 towards us, but only as far as Great
Rye Common.
Whilst Hart District may be chronically
short of secondary school places, Hampshire
itself boasts space elsewhere in the county.
With such places available, some of the Alton
schools such as Eggars and Amery Hill may
offer an alternative. But here we are running
into uncharted territory not to mention lengthy
journeys and no school bus.
Ways Ahead
At local level, Oli Beavon as Chairman of
Governors, Crondall Primary School is
Student transport to school and college
13
TIGGLETS 10th BIRTHDAY
By Freddie Wallace aged 4 (who supplied
suitable comments to enable the editor to write
up the occasion)
The picture above is me. On Friday 21st
January, my Montessori Nursery celebrated its
10th Birthday, so we had a special party.
Mrs Head invited all the children, even
those who don’t usually come on a Friday
together with their Mums and Dads. There
were lots of blue balloons decorating the room
and we had two big cakes with candles. We all
sang Happy Birthday to Tigglets and Mrs Head
helped us blow out the candles.
14
Every day I arrive in my Tigglets uniform
and we all say good morning to the teachers
and shake hands. We can then go and choose
what we want to do. Sometimes we have
French Club and sometimes we have a Music
session. We can also go outside and use the big
construction blocks and bikes if we want to.
My favourite activity is using the tweezers to
sort different coloured beads into pots. I have
to be careful not to drop any. I also really like
colouring, drawing pictures and making things
at the art table. I can now write my name all by
myself. Mum says I am very clever.
Sometimes we can use the indoor climbing
frame and I really enjoy using that with my
friends. If we stay all day, I have my own
football lunch box with my name on it. I hope
my next school which I go to in September
will be just as much fun!
Footnote by Mrs Candy Head: When Tigglets
first started there was just one child for the first
week. This has now grown to 43 registered
pupils.
(For more information on Tigglets, visit
www.tiggletsmontessori.co.uk . Tigglets is not
the only nursery school in the village. Stepping
Stones also provides a vibrant curriculum for
children of pre-school age)
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15
CRONDALL
ENGINEERING
The Nuts and Bolts of engineering businesses
in the village
THE PLOUGH GARAGE.
The Plough at Mill Lane on The Odiham Road
has a large customer base extending
throughout NE Hants and into Surrey. All
makes of cars are repaired and serviced there.
The dealership prides itself on being able to
offer a wide range of makes and models from
small cars with a low insurance group for new
drivers, right the way through to prestige, high
performance cars such Maserati’s and
Porsches, some having been in stock recently.
Keith says “I could not sell a car to save a
life.” Overhearing this, Paul Rosser who looks
after the Sales operation, interjects that there’s
more chance of Keith selling a car than he
being able to service one. This somewhat
reinforces the camaraderie that clearly exists
between their two departments!
Keith recognises that few of us can now
The Nuts and Bolts Team at The Plough Garage
16
‘tinker’ with our cars in an era when data plugs
and cable free interconnections are the norm.
For instance, Renault connects its drives using
electronic rather than mechanical means.
Handbrakes no longer lever a length of wire to
hold brake pads in place. Even a new Range
Rover has no less than seven on-board
computers to service its different systems.
Ian takes his head from under a bonnet, to
show off his toolbox-on-wheels to carry the
wardrobe of gismos needed for some of the
complex assemblies. Since 1991 most vehicles
are fitted to meet EOBD (European On-Board
Diagnostics) which involves a 16 pin plug
connection to determine where a fault lies.
Even so, certain cars are protected by ‘dealer
only’ diagnostics for sub assemblies that are
impenetrable
by
standard
software
interrogation equipment.
Keith is quietly confident that his team can
cater for most of our vehicle requirements. For
example, the Polo in the picture was being
checked for a faulty oxygen sensor that
determines the mix of exhaust gases then
adjusts the input mixture for optimum
performance. Clever stuff!
DCV PRECISION
ENGINEERING Ltd
Dennis Wright established DCV many years
ago and moved it to Marsh Farm in Bowling
Alley. He retired in 2003. “Dennis still pops
in” explained Andy White, who now runs the
business. “We are always busy doing lots of
sub-contract work for pharmaceutical, motor
racing, aircraft and geophysical requirements.
We have had our equipment sent to Mars in a
spacecraft, undersea in sonar units, taking
samples underground and whizzing around
Formula One racetracks”.
“Our equipment is even helping to save
dolphins from entanglement with fishing nets.
We worked with the industry to produce little
torpedo shaped devices that emitted
appropriate dolphin warning signals”.
Andy then opened the display cabinet. It
contained some beautifully sculptured and
polished items obviously made for various
scientific, technological and engineering
specialities. “We like to get involved with
early designs and prototypes then perhaps
development work and manufacture of
components” he explained before moving into
the machine room where a plethora of heavy
weight milling and turning machines were
being operated.
Several were automated using CNC
(Computer Numerical Control) processes for
complex 3D machining. Pulling out an acetal
hard plastic sleeve that had just been
completed, Andy demonstrated how it will be
used to collect the core samples for deep down
soil analysis. “We make our parts using many
types of high grade materials” said Andy as he
ran through a list including H-15 Aluminium,
Nylon 66 and Stainless Steel 316 that is used
in the marine world because of its noncorrosive properties.
“Of course, our work does not have to be
soley under sub contract. We can always help
someone locally who has a one-off need, such
as a new shaft for a vintage motor cycle or a
non-standard fitting that is proving unavailable
from a yacht chandlery” explains Andy as he
positions himself with his three engineers for
the photograph.
“It’s a pity Janie and Anita are not here to be
in the picture, then we would have our full line
up. But I hope you can see what a friendly lot
we all are”. Indeed Andy, we can!
The DVC Engineering Team and their top-of-range precision machine
17
PHANTOM MOTOR CARS Ltd
Founded by Tony Worthington in 1961 with its
workshops in the centre of Crondall, Phantom
Motors is an independent specialist workshop
for Rolls Royce and Bentley motor cars.
Tony’s sons, Simon and Stuart now run the
business. “My brother and I took over its day
to day running back in 1991” explains Simon,
standing in front of a rare Bentley Turbo RT
Mulliner with Swiss registration. “Our
workshop is equipped with all the latest
diagnostics for these signature cars including
the very latest models”. He pointed to a Flying
Spur that was plugged into a complex array of
computer electronics. “We shall soon be
returning this beast to its full 550 brake
horsepower output” He grinned.
It is clear that owners come from afar for
Phantom’s services. A Spanish registered dark
green RR Corniche was awaiting an ABS
upgrade. “We have the knowledge and can
source the parts that are just unobtainable
overseas” said Simon.
In response to a photo request, Simon and
Stuart posed with the company’s very own
Bentley Continental GT that they bring to the
Bentley Drivers Club for circuit racing and
sprint events. A weekend at Silverstone is the
usual venue using the Club Circuit. These
occasions are huge fun and attract a large turn
out of cars representing over 75 years of
Bentley marques. For the top competing cars,
there is usually a line up on the grid of some
twenty five to thirty cars. Simon and Stuart
have driven to victory every year for the past
six!
The secret of their GT’s performance are the
modifications that have been successfully
engineered. These include new carbon ceramic
disk brakes (“decelerating 2 ? tons of awesome
power in just a few yards”) and they indicated
something clever up their sleeves for 2011 to
increase its 650 HP by another 10%.
Just browsing the cars in the showroom is a
real treat. Open a door and the comfortable
smell of leather draws one into sitting in front
of a walnut dashboard where modern
computery is cleverly integrated into timehonoured dials and switches. Simon
mentioned that DCV Crondall often machined
one-off replacement items for some of the
rarer models. His own leaning was towards the
more modern high-tech end of the market.
“The new Bentley GT is due to be launched in
May It will have newly designed coachwork
and engine fittings under the bonnet.” So, for
the luxury car spotters amongst our readers,
lookout for one in Pankridge Street this
summer!
Stuart and Simon with their Bentley Continental GT raced at Silverstone
18
CRONDALL’S WAR
MEMORIAL (PART 2)
By Tim Wilson
Introduction
In the last issue of the Crondall Society News,
I covered the first of a series of pen portraits on
some of the 47 Crondall men who paid the
ultimate sacrifice in WWI. In this second
article I write about three men – Corporal
Percy Cowdery of the 2nd Dragoon Guards, a
cavalry corps, Private Charles William
Simpson of the Rifle Brigade and Army
Cyclist Corps and Captain the Honourable
Archibald Rodney Hewitt of the East Surrey
Regiment.
PERCY COWDERY
Corporal 1893-1917
†
Percy was born in 1893 into the Cowdery
family the eldest son (and second child) of
Alfred and Elizabeth (nee Aslett) Cowdery.
Alfred was a brick and tile maker at the
Chaundler’s foundry in Heath Lane. The
couple had seven children and the second son
Alfred Frederick born in 1897 is Fred
Cowdery’s father. In fact, Fred has done a lot
of research on his uncle Percy, including
visiting his gravesite in Etables France.
Percy’s memorial is amongst the 10,000
headstones of British servicemen there.
He attended the local Primary Board School
in Croft Lane in 1900. The school logbook
records Percy Cowdery being presented for the
Labour examination in Jan 1907, aged 14.
Percy joined the 2nd Dragoon Guards,
known as the Queen’s Bays, a cavalry
regiment with a history going back to 1685.
Aged 18, he is listed in Aldershot barracks in
the 1911 census. At the outbreak of war, the
Bays landed in Le Havre on 17th August. They
were to remain in France for the remainder of
the war. They were quickly into action at Mons
and the subsequent retreat against a wellorganised and mobile German division. The
Bays took their first casualties with one officer
and four men.
The retreat from Mons was over by 6
September 1914 and the Regiment was
ordered to advance to cover the left flank of
the main British thrust. The roll call that
evening showed that the Bays had suffered 7
officers killed out of twenty four, 114 men
killed, wounded or missing out of 537, but of
the initial number of 527 horses only 304
riding horses remained plus 48 draught horses
out of 74.
The Regiment saw almost continuous action
including the first battle of Ypres. By February
1915, there remained only 6 officers and 299
men of those that left England at the start of
the War. After a short period of relief behind
the lines, the Bays were involved in the 2nd
battle of Ypres on 23rd April 1915 notable for
the first use of gas by the Germans. The first
gas masks issued to the troops were
cumbersome and uncomfortable and the
soldiers soon found that a scarf soaked in urine
was a more effective defence.
Horses were
issued with gas
masks
19
For much of the second half of 1915 and
throughout 1916, the Bays were held in
reserve on a number of battlefronts waiting to
be used to exploit a breakthrough of German
lines. This however never happened. Their
casualties were therefore relatively light,
mainly occurring when they fought
dismounted and used as backup reserves in
trench warfare.
In January 1917, the war diaries of the Bays
report an unusual incident. Whilst a Company
was working to improve the railway line
between Arras and St Pol, one foggy morning
they saw a German plane landing in a nearby
field. While the pilot remained in the cockpit,
the observer climbed out to look at the
signpost on a nearby road. The Bays, unarmed,
rushed with their picks and shovels towards
the now running observer. The pilot opened
fire with his machine gun- the shots went highas the observer reached the plane and started to
climb in. At that moment, the pilot accelerated,
throwing off his observer, who was duly
captured, while the plane roared off into the
fog. As the officer in charge commented, “The
observer was not a bad little chap.”
In April 1917 the Bays were in action near
Arras, in a small village to the east called
Fampoux. Percy Cowdery by this time
promoted to Corporal was in C squadron.
Once again, they were being held ready to
exploit a successful attack made by the 4th
One of the incidents
that will live long in
the memory of The
Bays is their
successful chase of
the German calvalry
at Montigny-les-Lens
on the last day of the
Great War, 18 months
after Corporal
Cowdery’s death.
Reproduced from a
painting by Lionel
Edwards
20
Infantry Division. The field despatches
describe this as “the worst night that we ever
spent during the War. There was a foot of snow
to add to the grim conditions of slime and mud
in the trenches and the incessant bombardment
from the enemy.” On 11 April, the Bays were
ordered to advance through Fampoux and take
Greenland Hill beyond the village. This was to
exploit a supporting attack that never took
place. Two troops had been able to get into a
big sandpit, and so had escaped much of the
shellfire. The leading troop had suffered very
heavily, particularly from a direct hit from a
large shell, which had brought a wall down on
top of them. It took a considerable time to
extract such men as were alive from the debris.
In late April 1917, Corporal Percy Cowdery
was wounded on patrol in no-mans land. He
was evacuated to the military hospital at
Etaples near Le Touquet. By coincidence
whilst at Etaples Percy met his younger
brother Alfred, now serving with the
Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light
Infantry, who had a shrapnel wound. Percy
died on 4th May 1917 and is buried in the
military cemetery.
In a moving act to honour Percy’s memory,
Fred collected a small amount of soil from the
former Cowdery home in Heath Lane to
exchange with a similar amount from Percy’s
grave which he scattered by brother Alfred’s
grave at All Saints, Crondall.
CHARLES W. SIMPSON
Private 1888-1915
†
Rifleman with 2nd Battalion Rifle Brigade
and Army Cycling Corps
Charlie Simpson
was
born
in
Crondall
to
Thomas Simpson,
an
agricultural
labourer. In the
census of 1891 the
family were living
with
their
grandparents, also
Thomas and his
Cap badge of Rifle
wife
Sarah.
Brigade
Thomas
senior
was also working
on the land and migrated around NE
Hampshire wherever work was to be found. Of
his seven children, including son Thomas, 3
were born in Crondall, 3 in Odiham and 1 in
Long Sutton. Charlie’s mother was probably
called Mary as she and Thomas are listed as
married in the 1911 census. Charlie probably
had a younger brother called Albert who was
two years younger than him.
There was a keen interest amongst the boys
of Crondall School for shooting, encouraged
and sponsored by Charles Maxwell Lefroy of
Itchel Manor. It was a skill that Charlie
Simpson acquired which would have qualified
him for entry into the Rifle Brigade and army
life shortly after he turned 18 years in 1906. He
joined the 2nd Battalion of the Rifles and
appears in the 1911 census as Rifleman
Simpson in the Fort William barracks in
Calcutta.
The 2nd Battalion was still serving in India
at the outbreak of war in August 1914, in
Kuldana in the Murree Hills in one of the
several hill stations in what is now Pakistan.
The Battalion sailed from Bombay on 20th
September 1914 and landed at Liverpool on
22nd October. The Battalion moved to Hursley
Park near Winchester and came under orders
of 25th Brigade in the 8th Division. On 6th
November the Battalion landed at Le Havre.
The Army Cycling Corps (ACC) 1914-1919
At the start of the
war, British Forces
had 14,000 cyclists
in a variety of
bicycle regiments
and battalions. The
ACC adopted a drill
manual
and
a
discipline
drawn
from their experience. Their role covered
amongst other duties, courier work sometimes
cycling down communication trenches which
was particularly important when the security
of the trench telephone system was cut or
compromised by German receiving stations.
They also were useful for security patrols such
as along canal towpaths in France and Britain.
In some cases they replaced or supplemented
cavalry units, served as Military Police, and
provided working parties to assist engineers.
In 1916, every corps was assigned 500 riders
NZ Army Cycling Corps inspection
21
in three bicycle companies, By 1919, when the
ACC disbanded there were at least 100,000
riders.
At some point Charlie Simpson joined one
of these cyclist units and operated on the
Western Front up until November 1915 at
which point he was wounded sufficiently
seriously to be shipped back to England. He
suffered a particularly tragic end.
Charlie was one of a batch of wounded men
crossing the Channel from Boulogne to Dover
in the hospital ship HMHS Anglia on 17th
November 1915. I came across an account of
the tragic voyage from a survivor of the
incident. Charlie was one of many who didn’t
survive.
“I was aboard the hospital ship ‘Anglia’. We
left Boulogne at 11 a.m., and all went well
until we sighted the cliffs of Dover. It was then
12.40 p.m. About a minute later a very loud
explosion occurred. We knew what that meant.
Everybody did what they ought not to have
done: run about and do all sorts of things.
Meanwhile the ship took a very nasty tilt; the
front part was already under water. Everybody
rushed for the boats, but alas! they did not
know how to manipulate one until two of the
seamen went up, and lowered one full. There
was a bad swell on at the time, so half of them
got tippled out into the water. As far as I
remember there was only this one boat
lowered. Coming towards us at full speed was
a gunboat. She ran right alongside of us, and
some of the lucky ones managed to jump on to
her as she went by. She came back, and floated
about twenty or thirty yards away, and
anybody who could swim, swam to it. Of
course, there was a great many of us who could
not swim, so we stuck to the ship, and watched
those who could. The ship gave another nasty
tilt, and she now had her stern high in the air.
Well, I managed to get a life-belt, and slipped
this on. It was a terrible sight to see the
wounded men crawling up the gangway on to
the deck, lying there to go down with the ship,
some with legs off, others with arms off. We
could not help them. As luck would have it I
saw a lot of life-belts in a cabin, so I started
dashing these out to them. Meanwhile, another
boat had managed to save quite a lot, but then
she was torpedoed.
22
Sinking of the HMHS Anglia on 17th Nov 1915
“Up came a great big wave, and this polished
the old ship off. Down, down, down – how I
did struggle! It seemed years! At last I came
up, caught half a breath, and clung to a box. I
then got dashed against an upturned boat. I
was grasped by the hair and lifted up, and then
someone else collared hold of me, and
between them they got me into the boat, and I
don’t remember anything until we landed back
at the gunboat. I very soon got into a blanket
after being rubbed down, and am now very
much at home in hospital.”
The wreck of HMHS Anglia was one of the
first 21 war graves designated by the
Government under the 1986 Protection of
Military Remains Act. She sank bow first and
129 people lost their lives with over 170
rescued by other vessels.
Charlie’s body was never recovered and he
is commemorated at the Hollybrook Memorial
cemetery in Southampton together with 1900
servicemen and women whose bodies were
never recovered and most of whom were lost
at sea.
Hollybrook Mememorial Cemetery,
Southampton
CAPT. THE HON.
ARCHIBALD RODNEY
HEWITT DSO
1883-1915
†
Second Battalion of the East Surreys
Rodney Hewitt
was a toff. He
was born in May
1883 in Torquay
the second son
of 6th Viscount
Lord Lifford, a
Captain in the
Royal Navy and
an Irish Lord and
Helen Geach.
His elder brother
served with the
Dorsetshire Regiment. Rodney attended
Dulwich College from 1896 to 1901 followed
by RMC Sandhurst. He was commissioned
into the East Surrey Regiment as a 2nd
Lieutenant in Oct 1902 and posted to the 1st
Battalion. He served in India with the regiment
until 1910, by which time he had gained
promotion as Captain and served as Battalion
Adjutant from 1911to May 1914. He was a
member of the Naval and Military Club in
London and we are told his recreations were
hunting, shooting, fishing, golf and football.
By 1914 the family were living at the Court in
Crondall.
Hewitt’s battalion was moved from Dublin
to Belgium on 15th August 1914 with the
British Expeditionary Force (BEF). They were
quickly in the action at Mons in the face of
overwhelming German forces and were
ordered to retreat. They fought a rearguard
action marching with full kit some 150 miles
southwards in 15 days.
It was at the battle of Le Cateau just South
of Mons that Hewitt earned his DSO. His
citation says “for moving out of the trenches at
Le Cateau under heavy shell fire and bringing
back men who were dribbling to the rear”.
Eventually the German army push faltered
as their lines of communication to the River
Marne were stretched. By 6th September, the
Battalion had not made contact with the enemy
for 48 hours and orders were given to resume
the offensive. It was here on 9th September
that Hewitt was seriously wounded and
repatriated to England. In February 1915 he
rejoined the Regiment but this time was posted
to the 2nd Battalion comprising 21 officers and
908 men.
They formed part of the 85th Brigade of the
28th Division. Before they left for France the
King inspected the Division and they
‘presented a very fine appearance’. They were
billeted just west of Ypres. Throughout
February the 2nd Battalion were in almost
constant action to hold the line just south of
Ypres and suffered many casualties. Together
with 2 officers and 330 other reinforcements,
Captain Hewitt then joined for duty. He was
welcomed for his distinguished service and
experience with the 1st Battalion. He was
given command of ‘C’ Company and acted as
second in command of the Battalion.
For the next few weeks the 2nd Battalion
defended the line of trenches near the small
village of Gravenstafel, five miles NE of the
medieval town of Ypres. By 11th April they
were relieving a Canadian division and the war
diary takes up the account, ‘By 2 a.m. the
changeover was complete and very soon
afterwards the German fire increased, two or
three men being killed by snipers quite early in
the morning. The men were in excellent spirits
and returned the fire vigorously. In the
afternoon it was reported that the Germans
were mining towards our trenches in two
places and were getting unpleasantly close.
Major Le Fleming started round the trenches
about 6 p.m. to give instructions about dealing
with these mines, and while passing between
one company and another he was hit by a
German sniper and severely wounded. He
handed over command of the battalion to
Captain Hewitt and was taken back after dark
to the regimental aid-post at Zonnebake. He
had spoken highly of Captain Hewitt “as a
magnificent example of devotion to duty”.
On 13th April the trenches held by the
Battalion were heavily shelled, and on the 14th
the Battalion was relieved and went back into
billets at St Jean. The casualties from 11 to 14
April were one officer and 16 men killed. On
18th April they were back in the front line
expecting a major attack from the enemy. This
23
Robinson Crusoe – The Crondall Entertainers’ Pantomime
Willy (Lucy Ellis), Ma (Jackie Kennedy), Bessie (James Schofield) in terror on the Desert Island
Patrick Hodson, All Saints Organist is
retiring after five years dedicated service
24
Jennifer and Michael Kelly supplying
delicious 2011 marmalade in aid of the
Church Bell Fund
The December Freeze up
Anti-fouling with campaigners Cllrs Pippa
Wilkinson and Alan Behagg. Dog Poo
Report Line 01252 774421
Penelope Twine (Clerk to Parish Council)
with Chairmen past and present
25
did not happen until the commencement of the
second Battle of Ypres on 22nd April. Major
Ashton from the 7th Battalion of the East
Surreys arrived to take command of the
Battalion from Captain Hewitt who resumed
the duty of second-in- command. About 6.30
p.m. the fire and support trenches were heavily
shelled, two men being killed. On this occasion
poisonous fumes from the enemy’s shells were
first noticed’.
At midnight on 23rd April the Germans
climbed over their parapets to attack the
trenches in the centre of the line held by the
2nd Battalion. Being, however, caught at once
by machine-gun and rifle fire and also by
grenades their advance was stopped
immediately. It enabled the 85th Division with
the Canadian and French troops to hold the
line. The 24th April marks the start of the
Battle of St Julien which lasted until 4th May.
The Battalion continued to suffer many
casualties from shelling and gas fumes.
At 1pm on 25th April, the enemy launched
an attack along the whole line defended by the
2nd Battalion. They overwhelmed several of
the trenches especially where the effects of the
Gas warfare – German troops in action
deploying this devastating effect
gas had disoriented the defenders. Some of
these trenches were regained in fierce hand to
hand fighting often using bayonet charges.
At this time it was said ‘going over the top’
gave an average life expectancy of 11 minutes
for men and 4 minutes for officers.
The Brigade Commander reported “The 2nd
East Surrey have fought with great gallantry
all day – much heavy fighting – parapets
blown to bits – and men partially asphyxiated.
Our losses were heavy, the enemy’s greater.”
The 2nd Battalion lost five officers killed,
The bigger picture in which the East Surreys are holding part of the line
26
and five wounded and 84 men killed and 119
wounded. 43 were missing the majority of who
were subsequently ascertained as being killed.
Amongst these, was Captain the Honourable
A. Rodney Hewitt. The official history of the
East Surreys commented “The death of all
these brave soldiers while making a desperate
defence against overwhelming odds makes
25th April 1915 a memorable day for 2nd
Battalion East Surreys and, while all are to be
regretted, special reference must be made to
the death of Captain Hewitt DSO while
leading one of the counter attacks. Captain
Hewitt was a man of proven gallantry and
efficiency, and in him the regiment lost one
who was universally liked and respected and
who would assuredly have risen high in his
profession.”
Hewitt’s body was never recovered but he is
commemorated on the Menin Gate in Ypres
which records the names of more than 54,000
men missing in action in the three battles of
Ypres.
Light and Refreshing with less than
half the usual level of alcohol
Ideal for spring and summer
German troops follow up a gas attack
References
Percy Cowdery’s personal papers from his
nephew Fred. Detail of the battle offensives is
taken from the War Diaries of the relevant
Regiments/Battalions. In addition to the usual
resources on line such as Ancestry, Find My
past and Free Births Deaths and Marriages the
Prince Consort Library in Aldershot, the Board
School log in Hampshire Record Office at
Winchester and the Commonwealth War
Graves Commission have all been consulted. I
have also drawn on selected books out of
hundreds dealing with the background and
detail of the Great War. Any errors of fact are
however mine alone.
Already tried and enjoyed by many
Crondall Residents
Now available at the Village Store
In a Chardonnay version also
27
ARE YOU GETTING
YOUR OATS?
By Dr Trevor Thompson
Sometimes the simplest things have most to
offer. Take for instance the oat: grass and a
half, cereal superstar, grain of true greatness.
Allow me to explain why we should all accede
to this seed.
Despite being indigestible, dietary fibre has
a giant job in maintaining systemic health. The
soluble stuff turns to gel which slows the
absorption of macromolecules. This is why
fibre lowers ‘bad cholesterol’ and chances of
coronary heart disease.
For the same reason oats, though stuffed
with carbohydrates, relinquish these slowly
into the blood. Eating oats makes us feel fuller
for longer, rather useful for those considering a
diet.
About half the fibre in an oat is insoluble.
Though it cannot dissolve in water it is very
good at hanging on to it, thus bulking the stool,
improving transit time and culling constipation
which is probably why dietary fibre has being
serially shown to reduce the risk of colonic
cancer and to function in functional bowel
disorders.
Though I could go on outlining oat’s
benefits for health (high in minerals, vitamins
and protein) it’s their environmental
credentials that seal my support.
The oat is a forgiving grass that grows in
thin soils in temperate climes. Up to about 5 or
6 years ago, Crondall farms grew quite a few
acres of them. Being grown in the UK means
fewer fossils are consumed in the journey
from field to fork. On average 3KJ of oil
energy is required to produce, process,
package and transport 1KJ of food energy. For
meat the ratio is much higher.
The Food Miles debate is rich and complex.
For instance Spanish tomatoes clock up more
miles, but in springtime clock up less carbon
than their British buddies because the Brits
need to heat their greenhouses and the
Spaniards don’t. But the eco-logic of the
British oat is solid as one of my daughter’s
flapjacks. They require little processing, just
28
drying and rolling. Packaging requirements are
also minimal. However I do want to put in a
word for Quaker Oats.
Though their cardboard boxes, including the
recently acquired “Scott’s Oats” brand
sporting a muscled Scot with a cannonball,
aren’t the most minimal, there is one very
interesting thing about the company. They are
investing £6m in a biomass boiler which will
generate enough energy to power their entire
Fife factory. And the fuel for the boiler? The
husks of the oats left behind after milling.
If I have by now stirred up some enthusiasm
for the oat you may still be thinking “but I
don’t like eating porridge”. Fair enough. It has
been a miracle of Thompson family life that
for a few years all offspring would eat porridge
daily (they have since migrated to normal
sugar-laden fayre). Parents need to work on it
a bit!
Robert Burns (in “The Cotter’s Saturday
Night”) proclaims the dish “The halesome
parritch, chief of Scotia’s food” with maybe a
hint of irony given the Cotters in question were
indentured surfs. It is definitely the cheapest of
Scotia’s foods – the thrifty Quaker Oats for
instance offering four times the Joules/penny
of Special K. The flapjack, oat-biscuit and
muesli base are other important elements of
oat cuisine.
So given all this unequivocal goodness the
question remains – are you getting your oats?
Wild oats by the side of Itchel Lane
The Alfred
Free House
9 Bishops Road, Upper Hale
01252 820385
Farnham’s Newest Free House
Having just purchased the freehold our aim is to become
known for our ‘Real Ales’ along with our now established
home cooked food.
We currently have 5 Real Ales – we hope to grow
to 10 Very soon!
If you are a fan of the great British pub come along for
a visit.
ALICE HOLT’S ARTIST
IN RESIDENCE
Angela Shaw has been appointed Artist in
Residence to Alice Holt Forest
The Forest
Alice Holt is an ancient woodland site in the
course of restoration to a native broadleaved
forest. As well as some delightful walks and
visitor facilities including a treetop adventure
course, the forest sometimes provides
backdrop to exciting cinema. For instance, the
latest Robin Hood film was made in nearby
Bourne Wood.
Working in collaboration with nature and
directly on the landscape, Crondall resident
Angela Shaw is its first ‘Artist in Residence’.
Through her work, she aims to provide
additional stimulus to allow the general public
the opportunity to give more than a passing
glance to the forest’s trees, foliage and vistas.
Artist in the Forest
30
Insights
‘You can learn a lot from trees’ is one of
Angela’s favourite comments as she sets about
doing just that. Angela considers herself very
fortunate to have the forest as a studio, canvas
and natural backdrop for her work.
It is fitting that Angela’s choice of materials
should be chalk and wood since the forest
became part of the South Downs National Park
in November 2009. She draws and paints with
locally foraged chalk directly onto trees using
existing markings and patterns. Over time,
these ‘living sculptures’ change with nature
often eroding the results in an intriguing way.
Traces of these interactions can be found in the
artwork near the Forest’s Easy Access Trail.
Angela hopes these interventions will jolt
and challenge the viewer’s perceptions about
our relationship with our environment. For
instance her arrangement of a fallen tree and
chalked trunk invites us to consider how, in all
probability, we have lost synchronicity and
balance with our natural. As the chalk
disappears, we are reminded that we are but
temporary guardians of the landscape, with an
MARK HOWARD
COPPICE
CRAFTSMAN/HURDLE
MAKER
WATTLE FENCE PANELS, ROSE
ARCHES, CONTINUOUS
FENCING,
MADE FROM HAZEL USING
TRADITIONAL SKILLS
obligation to save these ‘green lungs’ for
future generations.
Summer Exhibition of Angela’s Work
These simple interventions may baffle
traditionalists. As Angela points out “My work
is site-specific, offering a democratic
encounter available to all who enjoy outdoor
life and are open to new ideas”.
For those preferring an indoor viewing of
the work, photographs and videos will be on
display at the UCA Farnham Fine Art degree
show at the beginning of June 2011.
Further information is available via
angela.shaw7@virgin.net.
SEASONED LOGS SUPPLIED
Hannams Farm Cottage,
Itchell Lane, Crondall,
Farnham, Surrey GU10 5PR
Tel: 01252 850791,
Mobile 07702 152529
PERSONAL TAXATION
SERVICES
Income tax and self
assessment
Tax returns and repayment
claims
Friendly service – low fees
Barrie Turner
160 Tavistock Road
Fleet
Hants GU51 4HG
01252 816815
p.t.s.@ntlworld.com
Art on Tree
31
The Farthingale Centre Offers:
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and Cherry Furniture:Silver:
Porcelain:Glassware:Clocks:Linen:
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Automobilia:Paintings and
Prints:Lighting, Rugs, Carpets &
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THE FARTHINGALE CENTRE
ANTIQUES & INTERIOR FURNISHINGS
Our Home Interiors areas
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Furniture, Tables and Chairs,
Sideboards, Bookcases and more
Our Courtyard café serves
morning coffee, light lunches,
afternoon tea and cakes
63 High Street, Hartley Wintney, Hampshire RG27 8NY
Tel: 01252 843222
info@farthingalefurniture.co.uk
www.farthingalefurniture.co.uk
Open Mon-Sat 10am-5pm
32
Sun 11am-4pm
FLORA, FAUNA & LOCAL
WALKS
Last Autumn, Alison Cross of the Hampshire
and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust joined our
Society Walk. She gave us a fascinating insight
on our own flora and fauna. Here is an update
on Trust Activities (www.hwt.org.uk tel 01489
774400).
The Trust is the leading local wildlife
conservation charity in Hampshire and Isle of
Wight. We care for over 50 nature reserves
totalling more than 6,500 acres of valuable
wildlife habitat. By providing volunteering,
education and training opportunities, we
enable individuals and communities to work
for the benefit of wildlife on our doorstep.
Here are details of two projects. I also invite
readers to record details of wildlife and submit
the results to us. (email WildLine@hwt.org.uk
or tel 01489 774446)
The Loddon and Eversley Heritage Area
Project
The project is focused on the Loddon River
that is fed by tributaries running from the chalk
of the Hampshire Downs (and via Crondall)
and also on the historic Forest of Eversley. The
varied geology and wide floodplains have
resulted in many different habitat types,
supporting a wide range of wildlife.
Its aim is to enhance all that is special about
the wildlife, history and landscape of the area
whilst promoting a healthy and sustainable
rural economy. In order to achieve this, the
project carries out work providing Land
Advice, Species and Habitat Surveys and
publishes its guide ‘Wild Life and Heritage
Walks’.
To survive and thrive animals, birds and
plants need the right places in which to live.
We are trying to reclaim habitats lost,
fragmented or isolated during the last century.
We do not always have to visit nature reserves
to see something special. Life out there is
sometimes still hanging on!
We work with landowners to improve
habitats. In addition to ancient forests and
landscape features such as ditches,
woodbanks, pollarded trees, hedgerows and
earth banks are an important part of our
landscape and also beneficial to increase the
diversity they provide to our landscape and
also to the creatures and organisms that make
their homes in them.
Our team offers free advice to help farmers
in the area to apply for Environmental
Stewardship that financially rewards farming
in ways that benefit wildlife and the
environment. Similarly, the team also advises
private landowners and local communities of
ways in which they can manage land they own,
in particular any areas of woodland or Sites of
Importance for Nature Conservation (SINCs).
Species and Habitat Surveys – Water Voles
Water voles have declined dramatically in
numbers and are now one of the UK’s most
threatened species. Their decline is due to
habitat loss and predation by non-native
American Mink.
Over the last 4 years we have been
undertaking water vole surveys along the
watercourses in the area. There are still some
areas where populations are just surviving. We
will be running a training day for volunteers to
take part in the survey on Tuesday 19th April.
The contact is Sarah Lynes on 01256 381103
or email sarahl@hwt.org.uk.
Rare Caterpillar Surveys
We have surveyed road verges in the area for
striped lychnis moth caterpillars that has
suffered a 50% decline in the past 25 years.
The species are large with green/ cream with
yellow and black bands. Their favourite food is
dark mulleinis that is confined to disturbed
calcareous soils found on areas of waste
ground, field margins, fallow land and road
verges. The larvae mainly feed on the
flowering spikes of the plant and the seed
heads and can be seen from mid July through
to the end of August.
We are working closely with Hants CC to
ensure more sympathetic management of
verges. For instance the cutting regime is one
early cut before April rather than in mid
summer when the food plant is essential to the
caterpillar’s existence. An early cut helps keep
more vigorous weed growth in check, while
creating a little disturbance to aid germination
of the dark mullein and other wild flowers.
33
FARNHAM ANTIQUE CARPETS
SPECIALISTS IN ANTIQUE & DECORATIVE CARPETS
PREVIOUSLY AT THE LION & LAMB YARD IN FARNHAM NOW BASED
WITHIN THE OLD PARSONAGE, CHURCH ST. CRONDALL
ALL CARPETS AND RUGS CAN BE SEEN IN YOUR OWN HOME
ANTIQUE & MODERNCARPETS
RESTORATION
CLEANING
VALUATIONS
WWW. FARNHAMANTIQUECARPETS.COM
01252 851215
The Grazing Project
The Grazing for Biodiversity is an initiative set
up by the Trust. We are working with the
Ministry of Defence and livestock owners to
introduce cattle or ponies back onto heathland
sites used as troop training area around Fleet,
Bordon and Aldershot
Go and see the sites for yourself! Most of the
areas are open access, with established paths.
Visitors are encouraged to report problems
such as fly tipping and broken fencing and
more pleasant news like wildlife sightings.
Wildlife and Heritage Walks Booklet
The walks described in this guide, utilise the
extensive network of paths in the county
taking you through heathland, woodland,
along river bank, field edges and country
lanes. Distances vary from 3miles (5km) to
8miles (13km). Each walk includes a detailed
description of the route accompanied by a map
and information about some of the features to
look out for along the way.
Call for Volunteers
Why not help us to manage our nature
reserves by joining one of the Trust’s volunteer
teams? The teams carry out practical work to
conserve habitats, monitor species and
maintain access for visitors. No previous
experience is necessary and all training and
tools are provided. You will learn more about
wildlife, gain new skills, meet like-minded
people and benefit from the exercise, fresh air
and scenery.
Membership
Without the support of our members we
couldn’t do what we do. Join us and be a part
of making sure Hampshire and the Island are
rich in wildlife for current and future
generations to enjoy.
Walking Guide on sale at Village Stores
Some Diary Dates (Phone the Trust for leader’s contact details & meeting point)
Day
Date
Time
Activity
Remarks
Sat
Sat
23 Apr
7 May
Sun
Sat
Sat
Sun
Sat
Sar
Thu
Sat
Sun
Sat
8 May
14 May
21 May
22 May
18 June
2 July
7 July
9 July
10 July
30 July
8 – 10.30
11 – 5
8 –10 pm
5 am !
10 – 12
10 -12.30
2–5
10.30–12.30
2–4
7 – 8.30 pm
11-3
2-4
10.30–12.30
Bird Walk Caesar’s Camp
Nature Fest at Eastrop
Moth Identification Eastrop
Dawn Chorus Walk
Pond Dipping, Family Fun
Beautiful Bog
Open Garden
Damselflies and Dragonflies
Historic Heathlands
Orchid Walk
Hay Day
Butterfly Walk
Wildlife Walk
MoD Heathland
Roadshow at
Basingstoke
Hazeley Heath
Ancells Farm Fleet
Hawley Training Area
15 Lea Wood Rd Fleet
Foxlease Meadows
Yateley
Greywell
Gt Bramshot Meadow
Bartley Heath
Bassetts Mead
35
THE SOUTH DOWNS
Taken from a lecture given by Owen Plunkett
to the Society on 26th Nov 2010
Covering an area over 1600 square kilometres,
the South Downs National Park is the tenth
National Park to be designated in England,
offering an area of protected countryside that
everyone can visit and enjoy.
The famous South Downs Way, loved by
walkers, cyclists and horse riders, stretches the
entire 160 km length of the Park from
Winchester in Hampshire to the white chalk
cliffs of Beachy Head, near Eastbourne.
With its anglo-saxon word for chalk,
Crondall shares an affinity at least in name
with the vast stretches of chalk downs to its
South. Alice Holt Forest just a few miles away,
is also included in the scheme.
Owen, as a former National Park campaign
leader, described how the measures about to
take shape in April 2011 came into being. For
instance, we heard about the Society of Sussex
Downsmen and the early attempt in 1929 for
the establishment of such a Park.
Various instances supported the idea of
national parks throughout UK. Pressure group
activities included the Kinder Scout trespass in
1932, the formation of the Ramblers
Association in 1935 and the formation of the
Hobhouse Committee just after WWII to
recommend how parks might be designated.
At that time, the South Downs met the
criteria as being “A high value resource for
physical and spiritual revival” although
implementation of its new status that we are
about to see was shelved as unlike the Peak
District and others it was not considered ‘wild
enough’.
Other factors, such as large communities
from towns within and just on its outskirts,
made its footprint difficult to define. One
suspects that there will still be issues on this
score, for instance with District Authority
plans for commercial and residential
Map of Southdowns National Park 2011
37
development coming into direct conflict with
the ideals of the new park and its own planning
committee.
Real momentum began from 1990 with the
Youth Hostel campaign and focus on Areas of
Outstanding Natural Beauty. In 1995, the act
was passed that aimed to foster and conserve
all the attributes we now associate with such
an amenity. In 2002, The Countryside Agency
showed, through a public enquiry, how the
park’s 15 authorities (unitary and district)
could be accommodated.
Translating all this through the bureaucratic
system took a further five years and the Park’s
HQ located at Midhurst, is expected to ‘go
live’ in April. Underpinning this result, has
been the tireless work by the ‘Campaign for
National Parks’ now chaired by the adventure
writer and broadcaster, Ben Fogle. Even with
the formal establishment of the South Downs,
the campaign is set to continue particularly in
the areas of raising money and public
awareness. In these straightened times,
DEFRA threatens the withdrawal of grants that
previously had been thought secure. Any holes
in the balance sheet will require further
contributions. But perhaps this is no bad thing,
if only to prevent the new authority becoming
just one additional and perhaps unwanted layer
of bureaucracy – a fundamental argument put
forward by those district authorities that have
been mentioned previously.
Owen showed us some stunning photos that
typified the vision that we all have of such an
idyllic place and that supported his efforts for
the past ten years to promote the protection
and conservation of the park, its quiet
enjoyment and appreciation of its beauty, its
role as an educating medium and basis for
research on habitats and eco-systems that it
contains.
For reference, Dr Richard Shaw is leading
the interim team prior to full powers being
conferred in April 2011.
This team produces regular newsletters and the
website giving the status of current project and
events
can
be
found
at
www.southdowns.gov.uk
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38
CONFESSIONS OF A
POKER PLAYER
by Slim Pickens, a Crondall Resident
When I was 15, I spent the long summer
holidays with a couple of friends at my Aunt’s
seaside house. A dedicated poker player, she
taught us that incautious play meant reduced
pocket money.
The art of poker is backing your judgment
over your adversaries. There is no point in
playing for anything that has no value. Poker
demands stakes that count. Stakes that inflict
pain when you lose and comfort, both material
and psychological, when you win.
Most Popular Game
Poker used to be played on someone’s kitchen
table with sandwiches and a few beers. Now
poker in hundreds of variations is the most
popular gambling game in the world played in
clubs, casinos and homes from London to
Vegas to Macao. It is played on the internet by
millions, young and old.
The one incontrovertible fact about poker is
that it is a game of skill. Good players win and
poor players lose - over time. On any
particular day a poor player, smiled on by luck
will get good cards and will win. Over time
probability dictates that we all get our fair
share of good and bad hands. Poker skill starts
with an understanding of the relative
probabilities with which certain combinations
of cards occur.
Knowing the Odds
It is important to know the odds of a particular
combination occurring and hence the strength
of your hand. In principle, the rarer the
combination the stronger the hand. Thus a
royal flush being 10 J Q K A in the same suit
in a five card poker hand, has the odds of
turning up about once in six hundred and fifty
thousand hands and is unbeatable. You can
expect a pair in 3 out of 4 hands. Three of a
kind as in KKK - once every forty six hands.
Adjusting your assessment of your hand by
taking into account the effect on the odds of
cards exposed to all the players (as happens in
many types of poker) is even more important.
Since the effect on the odds is too complicated
to calculate while playing, intuition - as in an
innate feel for the odds becomes your guide.
But the real talent that separates men from
the boys is psychological insight into the
behaviour of your adversaries as they proclaim
the strength of their hands by their betting.
Betting strongly does not always indicate
strength. Is it bluff? Should you counter by
raising? Getting it wrong will surely be costly.
Prudence and boldness go hand in hand - too
much of the first and you might as well not
play while too much boldness guarantees that
you will lose - over time. Logic, a feel for
probability and interpreting the behaviour of
opponents take you part of the way. The rest
depends on chance!
Poker Pleasure
For the past twenty years, my poker games
have been in congenial surroundings at a
London club among a group of friends. The
fact that there are 10 of us ensures that there
almost always enough of us available to make
up a game with a minimum of 6 and maximum
of 8 players. Over the years the winners and
losers have become obvious to all us but even
the biggest loser can have a fabulous session
and in any case we all count our losses as a
moderate price to pay for the intellectual and
social pleasures we get from the game.
39
MORE AIR TRAFFIC USING
FARNBOROUGH AIRPORT
Gordon Keyte details the increase in number
of flights approved.
Every day in the village, aircraft pass
overhead, many being flights to or from
Farnborough airport. The airport is managed
by TAG Aviation that operates a ‘business
aviation’ service – mostly for provision of
exclusive flights for those who wish for
privacy and can afford the expense.
Until recently, the maximum number of
aircraft movements (ie, a take-off or landing)
per year was limited to 28,000 with weekend
movements limited to 5,000 (this last was only
recently increased from 2,500). In 2009 TAG
applied to increase the number of movements
to 50,000 per year but their application was
refused by Rushmoor Borough Council. TAG
appealed and an Inquiry was held last year.
Many residents and several resident groups,
including the Farnborough Airport Residents
Association, the Fleet and Church Crookham
Civic Society and the Crondall Society, made
written and oral objections to the proposed
increase in movements. These were on the
grounds of increased noise, increased accident
risk (the airspace directly above us is
uncontrolled) and increased CO2 pollution.
Despite these objections the Inquiry
Inspectors found in favour of the appeal and
the Secretaries of State (for Transport and for
Communities and Local Government) have
decided to approve TAG’s application. In their
letter to Rushmoor BC, the Secretaries justify
their decision by noting that although the
application would introduce a ‘moderate
degree of harm in respect of increased noise’ it
40
would also ‘promote and encourage a buoyant
and diverse local economy.’
Where aircraft movements are concerned,
the proposed limits will now be:
• No more than a total of 50,000 aircraft
movements per annum of which no more
than 8,900 movements shall be at weekends
and Bank Holidays.
• The take off weight of all such movements is
limited to no more than 50,000kg with the
exception of 1,500 movements per year with
take off weight between 50,000 and
80,000kg.
Furthermore, no more than 270 of the 1,500
aircraft movements per annum between 50,000
and 80,000 kg shall take off or land at
weekends and Bank Holidays.
All such movements shall only take place
between 0700 – 2200 hours on weekdays and
between 0800 – 2000 hours on Saturdays,
Sundays and Bank Holidays. No movements
are permitted on Christmas Day and Boxing
Day.
For the first 10 months of 2010, the
weekend total was already close to the limit of
5,000, being 4549 while the annual total was
only 20,000 (the limit was then 28,000). Given
the decision by the Secretaries of State,
weekend flying is expected to increase rapidly
towards the new limit of 8,900 movements.
This limit is likely to occur next year
especially with arrivals for the Olympics. We
should not expect that all these aircraft will be
packed with passengers; for example on one
typical day in 2009, the average number of
passengers per aircraft movement was 2.7!
CHAIRMAN’S FINAL
NOTES
C.S. EMBLING
THE CABINET REPAIR SHOP
Woodlands Farm, Blacknest, Alton
Hants. GU34 4QB
Robin Collet
Chairman of the
Crondall Society
Office Telephone: Frensham Surrey
(01252) 794260
FREE ESTIMATE OR
QUOTATION
The Sunday Times of 13th March 2011 has
voted Crondall as one of the best 12 villages in
UK to live. It particularly emphasises our
primary school, shop and surgery. Splendid!
Committee and local representatives
Your committee is unchanged and we owe
them a great vote of thanks.
Firstly we pay a very special tribute to Ann
Wayre for the huge contribution she has made
to The Society. She was one of the first ever
section representatives and has been in this
role for over 30 years, first at the Court and
then at Pankridge Street for the next 20 years.
Also we are very grateful to Nicholas Sorby
who has also stepped down, for his
contribution. We are pleased to welcome
Roger Withers and Richard Hutchinson as new
section representatives. This role is vital to
your Society.
We are fortunate indeed with the other links
we have at Parish, District and County level.
Your Society has had the benefit of a very
good relationship with the Parish Council, now
covering Crondall alone. At District level,
Chris Simmons joined Nippy Singh as our
District Councillors. Chris, being on the
Planning Ctte at Hart, attends our Committee
meetings and keeps us up to date with
happenings at Hart District Council. And we
keep in touch with our County Councillor,
Jonathan Glen, who gives support to your
Society
Gift Aid
This year special thanks go to section
representatives and your excellent Treasurer
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embling@f2s.com
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James Burchett. In Spring last year we asked
section representatives to seek signatures on
Gift Aid forms from you, our members. It
proved quite a chore, which often needed more
than one visit. Thanks to their efforts and a
huge collation task by your Treasurer, he has
submitted the claim to HMRC and in February,
he received a refund of over £1,500 for past
years. This together with the anticipated
refund for 2010 will appear in the 2011
accounts.
In thanking members may I invite those of
you who have not signed a Gift Aid form to
consider doing so now? We also hope new
members will. It is a once off requirement –
not each year and you can cancel at any time.
Planning Matters - Travellers
The Travellers are set up at the junction of
Crondall Road and the A287. You will recall
they moved in over Easter weekend 2009 with
no planning permission, on land that they
owned. Hart immediately issued an
Enforcement Order for them to leave, against
which they appealed. The outcome was that
41
the Inspector confirmed the Enforcement
Order but granted an extension of time for
enforcement from 6 months to two years – on
the face of it and extension of 18 months.
The original Enforcement Order required
them to leave by December 2009 I have now
learned that the two years starts not from the
original date, but from the date the Inspector
reported, which was 11th January 2010. This
means the Order requires them to leave by
10th January 2012
There are divided views in the village about
this and it is not an easy one to thread through.
Your Society’s view had been for no
permission (temporary or otherwise), and
support for the Enforcement Order, but on
humanitarian grounds, extensions of the period
for enforcement – which is largely what
happened
However, the reasons for the rejection given
by the Inspector were heavily based on the
refusal by the travellers on making adequate
Section 106 contributions to the SPA,
Education or Leisure.
In another re-application for planning late
last year the travellers offered £15,000 under
Section 106 compared with the Hart
calculation of £105,000. Hart refused this new
application. The process is not ended – one can
expect that there is more to come –before the
enforcement date of January 2012.
The Coalition Government made strong
words about finding it unacceptable to
consider retrospective planning applications
(this one would be typical). However no
guidelines have yet been issued and it is
unclear how the Localism Bill going through
parliament will unfold.
You will read in this issue the problems
about Secondary School places for Crondall
children. One aspect of the travellers which
causes extra concern at present is that as they
lie closer to the Secondary School gates of
Courtmoor and Calthorpe than most other
Crondall children. On existing rules, it gives
them preference. Does that seem fair?
TAG - Farnborough – Increased Flights
In 2009, TAG applied to nearly double flights
at Farnborough. This went to appeal in May
2010 and the outcome is described in Gordon
Keyte’s article. In short, the Inspector has
42
ruled in favour of TAG, so they now have
approval for increased flights
QEB and Development generally
QEB have put in a new application, this time
for 872 dwellings. They are proposing a
reduction from Hart’s plan of 40% affordable
to 25%, allowing them to give an extra £4.6m
to their Education Contribution. The
calculation is based on anticipated sales values
at the different percentages.
It is up to HCC to advise what this would
mean in real terms about secondary school
places (and when) – and for Crondall how it
would impact on Crondall.
Also, apparently HCC have said that they do
not want a primary school built on the site, as
is in the plan. HCC propose instead to use the
funds to expand two nearby primary schools.
It seems a strange decision not least with the
consequent impact on extra traffic at school
time.
Hart LDF (Local Development
Framework)
The article by Ken Crookes, Leader of Hart
District Council, explains the concept of the
LDF. You will see that Hart have fixed on the
number of 200 extra dwellings a year for the
LDF and so, over the 20 year period, are
looking at 4,000.
As the LDF is a replacement/revision to the
previous plan, its 20 year period has already
started in 2006, and some have already been
built
The figures Ken Crookes quoted were:
Already built
660
In the pipeline
1,770
2,430
Leaving a balance
to find of
1,570
The pipeline and some of the already built
properties, includes Hitches Lane (opposite
Calthorpe), Dilly Lane (Hartley Wintney) and
QEB - 872 on the latest application.
Hart Housing Register Analysis of June
2010 shows Crondall leading the way in
affordable (built) houses in that:
Hart has 21 parishes
Total Dwellings
36,643
Total Affordable in that 3,531 9.6%
Total Dwellings (Crondall)
Affordable therein
103
699
14.7%
Of the Affordable category of these 21
parishes, we equalled the % score of Hartley
Wintney, and only South Warnborough at 18%
and Elvetham Heath at 20% were ahead.
Crondall is the largest of the Village
parishes with its 699 houses – it is 10th in size
of the 21 parishes in Hart. The next larger
parish is Crookham Village with 1,661
dwellings. Next below Crondall is Eversley
with 638 dwellings – thereafter it goes down to
under 300, with Ewshot at 286.
Note that this table gives numbers on the
Housing Register for each parish - Crondall
has 26, with an overall total for Hart of 1,216.
What should Crondall suggest? Whilst
being the largest of the independent village
parishes, and certainly vibrant there are the
problems of no public transport and (at
present) Secondary School places. Local roads
are
over-stretched,
not
least
the
A287/Redfields Lane junction (and no QEB
funds seem allocated to that). Any extra
housing in the village may exacerbate the
problems – but of course it is a 20 year
programme and matters may change later
At the time of writing we are forming our
view.
2010 Events
Mark Howard arranged interesting routes for
our Autumn walks in September last year on a
balmy day with marvellous teas at the Church
Rooms to follow. Very well supported
And in November at Clare Park, wine and
cheese preceded by a fascinating talk by Owen
Plunkett on The South Downs National Park.
We are grateful to Ali Howard who makes
all the arrangement for out events
Finally
As always, your views and comments are
always welcome – please do get in touch with
me or any member of the committee.
We have an exciting programme for this year
and we look forward to seeing you there, and
bringing anyone who is interested in joining.
Please come along to the AGM on Wednesday
18th May. The talk by Nathan Roberts on ‘at
risk’ youngsters will surely be fascinating and
perhaps give us ideas on possibilities for
community interest in our own local boys and
girls when called for.
Bed & Breakfast
at
The Georgian House
Eastbridge
www.the-georgian-house.co.uk
Tel: 01252 850699
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Email: elaine@foodtodinefor.co.uk
43
UNAUDITED ACCOUNTS FOR 2010
RECEIPTS AND PAYMENT ACCOUNTS
.
Receipts
Subscriptions & Donations
Advertising
Meetings Events & Outings
Deposit Interest
Total Receipts
Year to December 2010
2010
2009
£
£
2582
2703
870
660
228
69
36
72
3716
3504
Magazine printing
Meetings Events & Outings
Insurance
Subscriptions & Donations
Registration fees
Postage & Miscellaneous
2499
561
200
127
0
34
1987
391
190
32
0
43
Total Payments
3421
2643
Excess Receipts over Payments
296
861
BALANCE SHEET
As at December 2010
2010
2009
£
£
0
0
Payments
Assets
Cash in hand
Income in advance:
Subscriptions in advance
Advertising in advance
Lloyds Bank - Current Account
COIF - Deposit Account
-147
-75
100
8539
1619
6502
Total Assets
8417
8121
General Reserve at 1 Jan 2010
Add excess receipts over payments
Balance at 31 December 2010
History of Crondall Reserve
7121
296
7417
1000
6260
861
7121
1000
Total Reserves
8417
8121
Reserves
44
SOCIETY REPRESENTATIVES
Members are reminded that the Village has
been divided into sections for the collection
of subscriptions, the delivery of magazines,
and for recruitment etc. Subscriptions become
due on 1st April and are £8 annual family
and £5 annual single membership. It would be
a great help if members would pay their
Section Representative on receipt of this
Edition. The list of Section Representatives is
as follows:
10
11
12
13
Membership Secretary:
Dick Wilkinson
No.
1
2
3a
3b
4
5
6
7
8
9
850272
Representative/Location
Roger Withers
850907
Pankridge Street. Eastbridge –
Redlands
Lane/Whitewater
Dennis Flower
850920
Pankridge St. Fairhaven/18
Greensprings – The
Meade/Greens Farm House
Gordon Keyte
851346
Pankridge Street. Runnimede/
Chilloway B – Kenlea
Nicky Lea
851428
The Limes-The Jollies
Brian Blowers
850403
The Borough, The Forge/11A – The
Plume of Feathers/30
Angela Shaw
850458
Well Rd, Chapel Cottage/The
Brambles – Potters
Hill/Hook Cottage, Jonathon Kiln
Cottages
Alison Howard
851777
Church Street
Dick Wilkinson 850272
Croft Lane, Cedar Cottage/
former Castle Inn
Bay Sandars
850522
The Court
Richard Hutchinson 851087
Farm Lane, plus Westcroft House
and Pilgrim Cottage
14
15
16
17a
17b
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
26
27
Jackie Argent
850877
Dippenhall Street, The Cedars/
1 The Yews –
Thorns/Tudor House
Bryan Day
850426
Dippenhall Street. Gables/
Old Village Stores –
Chedworth/Malthouse
Robin Tyler
851416
Dippenhall Street, Hill View/
Corner Cottage –
Townsend Cottages/
Greenacres. Clare Park Farm
Penny McCulloch 850783
Redlands Lane, Hartfield House/
Willow Lodge Redlands
Mark Howard
850791
Itchel Lane, to Itchel Lane Cottage
Anne Rogers
850802
Itchel Lane, Maxwell Cottage
to West Field
Cottage/Lower Swanthorpe House
Maddy Wilks
850225
Bowling Alley. The Horns –
The Moorings
Jakki Wetherall 850615
Heath Lane – top half
Roger Thompson 850992
Heath Lane – bottom half
Christine Simeons 850370
Doras Green and Dippenhall
Tony Waite
850772
Mill Lane
Judith Arnold
851277
Greensprings Estate
Bob Edwards
851078
St Cross Estate
Linda Warner
01420 22128
Swanthorpe
Robin Collet
850824
Wimble Hill
Col R Chaundler 850681
Clare Park
James Burchett 852027
Postal
John Bennison
850447
Ewshot.
David Judge
850521
Advertisers
45
46
CRONDALL CROPS – SUMMER 2011
Computer Aided
Design by
Edward Wood
Data supplied by
Giles Porter
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seeking planning approval
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